The Weight of Responsibility on a Company President

I let Elza out of the room and stretched wide.

I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Elza was surely feeling the same way.

There are many things you can't say because of your position. That was something I'd been feeling keenly lately.

Thinking about the busy days starting again tomorrow, I felt like I should just sleep and conserve my energy.

Was the bath still occupied by Azu and the others?

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Assuming it was one of the household, I gave permission.

The door opened and Orleans came in.

Her fair skin was slightly flushed, and steam was rising from her body.

Her hair was still a bit wet with a towel around her neck, making it obvious she'd just come from the bath.

Her thin blue pajamas clung slightly to her body.

"Sir, the bath is free now."

"You came all the way to tell me? Thanks. Also, your hair isn't dry yet."

I approached Orleans, took the towel from her neck, and placed it over her still-wet blue hair, scrubbing to absorb the moisture.

Moving the towel made her long hair shift.

She was a dependable girl, but interacting with her like this made me feel she was still just a child.

"It's getting warmer, but the nights are still chilly. It would be terrible if you caught a cold."

"I-I'm fine now. It's mostly dry, so I can do the rest myself."

"Is that so."

Orleans fidgeted a bit, showing embarrassment as she pressed the towel down with both hands.

If she said so, then so be it.

"Well then, I'll return to my room."

"Don't stay up too late."

"Of course. I won't trouble you, sir. I'm sure everyone else feels the same."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but staying up late aside, you can trouble me as much as you want. You're still a child, and I'm responsible for looking after you as an adult. I won't come to dislike you just because you cause trouble."

Orleans's formal speech probably stemmed from her position.

Due to her special circumstances and background, she was working alone in a foreign country despite having living parents.

And working remarkably hard at that, without cutting corners.

When Yohane was that age, he'd helped his parents too, but his head had been full of playing, as far as he could recall.

It was helpful, but hardly healthy.

So I thought it was important to properly convey that this place was safe for Orleans too.

Perhaps that sentiment reached her, as Orleans bowed deeply.

"Thank you very much. I truly feel that you've been good to me since we first met, sir."

Then she raised her head and left as if fleeing.

Thanks to Orleans, I was able to manage the administrative work that had grown with the company's scale without overexerting myself.

I'd actually feel better if she voiced a selfish wish or two, but that opportunity seemed unlikely.

After that, I took a bath.

I needed to ask Azu and the others their thoughts on the new soap I'd put out.

Since they matched the target demographic of young women perfectly, they were the best source of feedback.

The accumulation of their opinions had led to soap that was popular even in the Empire.

These small accumulations weren't to be underestimated.

Popular products emerge from exactly this kind of thing.

I wanted to think about the next business venture and plant seeds, but right now I had my hands full with the current operations.

How do giant merchant houses manage to handle mountains of businesses?

It was a mystery. Humans only have two hands, and there's a limit to what the mind can process.

Like entrusting Kazusa with the inn and Kaimol with the shop, I could only find or train trustworthy people and delegate to them.

However, managing Luido and trade with other cities were the kinds of tasks I couldn't delegate to others.

The same went for being Princess Tianis's advisor.

At worst, things would stay this way for several years.

If I were to start a new venture, it would probably have to be acquiring a struggling but good business.

Hmm, acquisition is now in my sights.

We'd grown to a scale I couldn't have imagined when I was running just one shop.

I felt like my destiny had changed the day I bought Azu from the slave merchant.

Perhaps they had brought me good fortune.

But it's when you get carried away at times like this that you get burned.

It's by no means rare for a merchant who was once rolling in money and riding the peak of success to fall into poverty where he struggles for daily meals.

Business requires having your feet firmly on the ground.

As the company grows larger, the recoil when something happens grows too.

What matters is financial health.

I need to regularly check the ledgers and keep cash on hand.

Reflecting on how I'd gotten careless and nearly ran out of funds, I resolved to manage things properly.

It was no longer just Yohane alone who would be left destitute if things failed.

I was carrying the lives of many people connected to the company.

A shiver ran down my spine.

When I touched my mouth, the corners were turned up.

Along with the feeling of fear, there was definitely a part of me enjoying the growth in the scale of making money.

The next day, I finished breakfast with a mountain of pancakes and boarded the carriage.

Azu and Orleans had apparently stayed up a bit too late and looked sleepy.

But they pulled themselves together before departure. Impressive as always.

I wondered if Lady Anatia had anything she wanted me to convey to Duke Baroba.

When I asked using the magical device, she said she wanted to give him a letter.

Since I'd be passing through the Royal Capital on the way to Alsarm via portal, I decided to pick it up then.

"Alright everyone, let's go."